Standing up to the testing-industrial complex.

This “Room for Debate” piece from the Times asks whether parents should be able to choose to have their children opt-out of standardized testing. I stand firmly on the side of yes. We need better, more holistic assessments that measure student progress over time.

Standardized tests should only rarely be used and when they are, be mostly for diagnostic purposes in order to allow for better, more personalized teaching. The only way the growth of the testing-industrial complex can be stopped is if enough folks stand up and say no. Parents have the ability to exert powerful influence on education policy.